Combination tail light and illuminated license plate



I 1,621,351 March 15, 1927. P. E. CLEMENT COMBINATION TAIL LIGHT ANDILLUNINAIED LIcENsE PLATE Filed Juwe 19, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheetl March f51927.

P. E. CLEMENT COMBINATION TAIL LIGHT AND ILLUMINATED LICENSE PLATE FiledJune 19', 192.6 2 S et -Sheet 2 Patented Ma. 15, 1927.

PHILIP n. CLEMENT, or Manonssrnn, new HAMPSHIRE.

COMBINATION LTAIL TIGHT LANDILLUIVIINATED LICENSE BLA 'IE.

Application name 19, 1926. Serial No. 117,155.

This invention. relates to, a combination tail light and' illuminatedlicense plate "or .thatcharacter in which the license plate isperforated and the indicia thereof read by an illumination projectedthrough the openings of the plate.

,An important object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter giving eflicient illumination for the llcense plate which maybe very cheaply and readily produced.

A further-object of theinvention is to pro- 7 vide a construction ofthis character by means of which the license plate may be 'se-' cured inadjusted positions against unauthorized removal, thereby preventing thesubstitution of license plates upon the vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedreflectorstructure for illuminating the license plate.

These and other objects I attain by 'the construction shown in theaccompanying drawings, wherein for the purposeof illustration is shown apreferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a combined tail lightand illuminated license plateconstructed in accordance with my inven tion- Figure '2 is a view withthe license plate and backlng sheet removed, the device being partiallyin section to show the construction of various portions thereof;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Flgure Figure 1; v

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the casmg showing the door and securingelement therefor; 1 Figure 6 1s a transverse sectlonal view 1 is.asection on the line lt of through this end of the casing showing themanner in which'the securing element is applied and retained inposition.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10indicates the front wall of a casing formed with an opening 11 arrangedadjacent the bottom thereof and extending transversely of the casing.The side'and bottom edges of this opening are slightly spaced from theend edges of the front'wall and from the bottom edge thereof to provideretaining ledges, fora purpose presently to appear.

One end of the casing is closed by a wall 12 while the opposite endthereof is closed by a wall 13 having-at its lower end an open ing 141-closed byxa door 15' hinged to the rear wall 16, as at 17. This door .15is of substantially the sameheight as the opening so asto admit to thecasing a stencil plate 18 and a transparent plate 19 associatedtherewith. To thefront wall immediately above the openingll are securedguides, each including a horizontal ledge 20 adaptedto overlie, theupper edges of the plates 18 and 19 and a vertical flange 21 secured tothe rear edge of the horizontal ledge and adapt? ed. to oppose the rearface of the plate which is arrangedinnermost. Extending upwardly fromthe bottom wall are vertical flanges 22 whichcorrespond to the flanges21 and op The doorhas secured to its outer surface-a member 23 provldlng.upon the outersurface of the :door a vertically directed guidetube 24:.

pose the lower edgeof the innermost plate. 7'

this guide tube when the door is in the closed position. A rod '27 isformed at its lower end with a hook 28 from the bill of which extends ahorizontal arm 29 which is substantiallyradial tothe rod 27. This rod ismade of greater length than the distance from the bottom of the casingto the upper end of theopening 14 and isemployed to secure the door inclosed position by inserting the rod through the opening 26 and eye 24until the upper end of the rod is disposed above the level of the upperedge of the opening. In order to accomplish this, the arm 29 must bedirected outwardly from the casing and when the rod is in properposition, the rod can be rotated so that the arm 29 overlies the bottomwall 25 and may be secured in this position by a seal 30 shown in thepresent instance as secured to a wire 31 passed through openings 32 inthe bottom wall 25 and over the arm 29. When the door 15 is in itsclosed position, it is'engaged against the adjacent ends of the plates18 and 19, the opposite ends of which are engaged with the end wall 12,so that longi- V tudinal movement of these plates is elfectuallyprevented. The casing is likewise" sealed, so that any possibility ofremovalof the license plate by an unauthorized person is avoided.

The upper wall 33 of the casing is'cen-. trally peaked, as at 34, sothat between the center of the upper edge of the opening 11 and the topwall, a space is provided for the reception of a tail light lens 35. Tothe inner face of the rear wall of the easing, in opposition1to thislens is secured a reflector disk 36 to the upper edges of which issecured a horizontally directed semi-circular reflector flange 37.The'disk 36 serves to direct light from an illuminating element 38arranged in a socket 39 directed through the rear wall 16 upon the taillight lens while the reflector 37 directs thclig'htdownwardly to thatportion of the casing lying rearwardly of the plates 18 and 19. A flatreflectorplate 4:0 substantially co-extensivewith the casing has itslower .ed e restin a ainst the bottom of the a: g b

casing immediately at -the rear of the flanges 22 and its upper edgesecured to the inner face'of the rear casing wall 16 at a polnt 41adjacent theupper end of this wall. To

the rear wall 16 are. secured brackets 42 which engage the reflector 40intermediate its upper and lower edges to slightly flex the same, asillustrated, so that the reflector plate will always be held undertension and will not tend to rattle. The bottom wall of I the casing maybe formed with drain open myself to such specific structure except ashereinafter claimed. 7

I claim 7 7 In a device of the character described, a casing having anopening formed in the front'wall thereof, a stencil plate alignabl-ewith the opening and when aligned therewith having one endthereofengaged with one end Wall of the casing, the opposite end wall ofthe casing having an opening, a door for said opening hinged to the rearwall of the casing and when in the closed position having its free edgeabutting the opposite end of the stencil to thereby prevent longitudinalmovementof the stencil, means for locking the door in closed positionincluding a rod of great-erl-ength than the distance fron'i the bottomof the casing and the top of the opening of said end wall, the outerface of the door having a vertically directed eye, the bottom wall ofthe casing haying an opening with which the eye aligns when the door isin closed position, means for securing the rod in position including ahook upon the lower end of the rod adapted to underlie the bottom wallof the casing,

an extension upon the bill of the hook adapted to overlie the bottomwall of the casing when the rod is in its latching position and openingsformed in the bottom wall of'the casing between which the extensionmaybe disposed whereby a seal wire is directed through said openings andover the extension and will lock the rod in position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

PHI IP E. cLnMnNT.

